SoxSport

I wouldn't write them off just yet. Their main problem is their pitching has sucked. 3rd from last in the league. TB/NY 1-2. They are 4th in hitting, and that's without Ellsbury and Cameron, so their hitting seems to be fine. It's the pitching that's bad, starting with Beckett. And all those 60+/1-inning appearances in the BP takes it toll after a couple years. Bullpens have a short life in the current baseball world.

Papi isn't "back". His overall stats have been declining for several years. He isn't the hitter he was-for whatever reason. But he seems to be better the last few games, so you keep your fingers crossed.

You look at the league stats: Red Sox 4th in hitting, 3rd from last in pitching. TB/NY 1-2 in pitching. That tells the whole story of the season so far. The hitting is fine, the pitching sucks. I'm beginning to believe that Harrell is the most overrated pitching coach in Baseball. And handling pitching, unfortunately, is not a Tito strength--back to the days in Philly.

Some guy in the NY Times had about the right odds: Cleveland 5-7, Chicago 2-3, NY 3-1. If he listens to his heart, he'll stay in Cleveland. If he listens to his handlers, he'll go to NY--where THEY can make the most money.

What they should have done was try to get Austin Jackson from the Yankees. Fat chance, but it turns out that was an excellent deal for the Tigers. All that media hoopla about Granderson, too. Jackson might turn out to be ROY in the AL. Trouble with Theo, he tries to get too cute at times. And it costs them. He has played footsie at SS since he made his first mistake not re-signing Cabrera. Then he goes out and signs a 37 yo outfielder, moves his CFder to LF, and puts the guy in CF. The first thing that happens is his LFder collides with his CFder, and now he has 2/3 of his outfield down. You might call it a case of overmanagement. Some bad luck, sure. Cameron arrived in ST apparently hurting. But now you have to question that Ellsbury switch.

Remember the old Bob and Ray joke? Before they finally won a series --in 03? Epitaph seen on a local tombstone: "Cause of Death, Boston Red Sox" That was not funny 10 years ago. I was lucky enough to see Ted Williams play when I was a kid. In his prime, even. I still remember him at bat at Fenway. Not a creature stirring--not a sound. Everybody holding their breath with every pitch. And then the swing--like a rattlesnake snapping. Very quick wrists. And the high arching flies over the bullpens into the bleachers. I saw him make the last out in Bunning's no-hitter in '59, when he pitched for Detroit.. Just got under a slider and put the right fielder up against the bullpen. Lucky Bunning. I remember Doerr the classy HOF 2nd baseman (Pedroia is better). And Dom Dimaggio in CF. These guys could both hit and field. And Birdie Tebbitts, the catcher --later a great manager. I remember when an obscure hitter named Vollmer came over from the Senators and hit 14 HRs one July. Also that monster rookie year Dropo had. His one and only. And then there was Parnell and Kinder for pitching. That was it. The Yankees had Raschi, Reynolds, Lopat, Page, later Ford, etc. The difference was always the pitching.

Honus Wagner, no doubt.

Unfortunately, Tito is a cock-eyed optimist. Optimists are always popular but often unrealistic. Papi gets a hit. Papi's back. Looks like Papi is going through the same declining phase as Nomar did--wrist and all.

Papi needs a vacation. Tito batting a .150 hitter 5th or 6th is insane the way this club is playing. . Hermida/Lowell should be the platoon. Both are hitting very well. Lowell hasn't lost anything at the plate. Papi is a big issue on this club, along with Lowell. I wonder if it hasn't affected the team's performance. The other issue is the base stealing, where the catchers have been getting the heat. Well, the base stealing has suddenly stopped. Which tells me the pitchers are now paying attention to the runners on base. I never thought Tek or VMart were that bad.

Tito, turn up your earphones.

Saw this kid play in Scranton last summer. I think I wrote a post about it then. Against Pawtucket, which had a bad team last year. Jackson batted 1st or 2nd at Scranton, played CF, and looked good when I saw him. Patient at the plate.Looked like a ballplayer. Was hitting around .300 there. So far so good in Detroit. The kid has surprised some. Put right in leading off and producing. We'll see if it lasts. For all those NY media types who gloated about them getting Granderson, the Yankees may have traded away a very good young player who has been better than Granderson so far--and a lot cheaper.

Yo, Papi. The fat lady is singing.

Lars Anderson just got promoted to Pawtucket after a strong start at Portland. Bates moved to the OF. Don't be suprised if Anderson is on a fast track. AdGon may have been priced off the Red Sox. No way Buchholz gets dealt for him at this point. That Howard contract is a killer.

If I want to get a good laugh, all I have to do is look at the title of this thread.

I don't understand the Yankee-sized bucks for Howard. I figured it would be Cardinal-sized bucks.

Time to put Papi out of his misery. Are Red Sox pitchers beginning to hold runners on base? That would be a pleasant surprise. VMart has been taking too much heat, and maybe it's affecting his hitting. Tek has been great. Why such poor starts for Lester and Beckett two successive years? A good question for the pitching coach.

Nothing? He won a game the other night, and that's not chopped liver.

Considering the quality of veteran players who make $4-5 mil these days, the Red Sox got a steal in McDonald, who won a game for them and maybe might do more. Regarding Ellsbury and Cameron, I wonder if that collision might have had something to do with Ellsbury switching positions. Maybe not familiar with LF, though I think he played there some as a rookie. Just bad luck, when you combine it with Cameron's abdomenal problems. Who would have thought 2/3 of the outfield would be down in April. From what I've seen so far, this team has issues which may keep it out of the playoffs. Tito still has a struggle with veteran loyalty vs team play, though it looks like he's trying to get a handle on it--with Lowell finally getting some platoon time. And Wake going to the BP--where he's needed more at this point, since their middle relief has sucked. Tek has been a pleasant surprise. If they keep him fresh, he could last the season. Finally, that crisis situation with teams taking free bases almost at will. I've seen discussions in other chat groups, and there is the feeling out there, as I suspect, that the problem is more with the pitchers not holding runners on than the catching. The media hasn't touched this so far, and it's about time they did. No sense in spending big bucks for another catcher until you make an effort to hold runners on. This is a policy decision that needs attention.

Most of the analysts at NFL.com , some of them good ones, thought the Patriots came out of the draft pretty well--especially with the big TE Gronkowski and all those Gators. BB seems to have the skinny on the best players coming out of Florida. They also liked that WR from Ohio, who came from a pass-poor program. There was some criticism initially about Day 1, but Day 2 seems to have dissipated that. I suspect they took that CB no.1 because they are perenially weak at CB, and the Jets were probably going to pick him. He also has kick and punt return talents they can use. I thought BB should have rolled the dice on Dez hot dog, but those types migrate to predictable teams. Most of the others don't want them, which is why he wasn't a top pick. Hughes was the other real option, but I don't know if they didn't make up for that later with those two Gator linebackers.

Isn't it time the Red Sox placed winning as the priority over player loyalty? Francona alluded to this several times in the press conference I saw the other day--after his meeting with the FO. I suspect you'll see some changes on the Red Sox. No prima donna treatment for Papi, Wake to the BP, pitchers keeping base runners honest. That would be good for starters.

Ever heard of the Peter Principle? It says people get promoted in an organization until they reach the level of their incompetence. Well, maybe BB has reached that level now that Pioli has left and he is running everything on the Patriots. A lot of people are beginning to think he is chewing on too much. I don't think his drafts have been all that great the past 2-3 years. His run on CBs reminds me of Epstein's run on SSs with the Red Sox. He just can't seem to get it right, and when he does, he won't pay the guy. Consequently, he's stuck with the same need year after year, as other needs begin to show themselves. OK. He doesn't like glitz. Dallas is media-minded and likes glitz. They take the glitz with "Dez". The media loves it. BB has been burned before trading up for glitz. Maroney, for one. And that Florida WR of a few years ago comes to mind. But their WRs are OLD. And maybe Moss would have helped straighten out the kid's shortcomings. 50/50 he becomes an impact WR. I view the Patriots as a declining team in a division which is rapidly catching up. The Jets are the media team these days, and that counts in the psycho game. The Dolphins have Parcells--who doesn't have to coach, too. Both teams have improved so far in the off-season, while the Patriots have treaded water. Belichick may have too much on his plate to excel across the board anymore. They have given away a lot of good players they drafted because they didn't want to pay them. Well, that catches up with you. What happens is you eventually end up with a lot of aging players in decline and a lot of young players who can't take their place. Remember that game at Indy not punting on 4th and 2 on the 27? Well, there was a disturbing illogic to that decision. And I wonder if that isn't being repeated in the draft. After all, it's quality, not quantity, that counts. You have to draft high to get impact players. It takes hubris to think you can get them in the mid-rounds. This is a draft where Belichick had to role the dice. Didn't see that in the first round last night.

All the talk in the media is about the Red Sox needing a better defensive catcher. My thinking is the fault is more the pitchers than the catchers on this club. They aren't stealing on the catchers so much as they are stealing on the pitchers. And that's their POLICY of not holding runners on. So it's a management problem--as are the root of most problems in any organization. It must be tough to be a catcher on the Red Sox these days. VMart isn't great defensively, but he is really being shown up badly by the pitchers not holding runners on. I wonder how he feels about this. I wonder how his teammates feel about this. I think there are issues on this team affecting their performance. Coaching issues the FO has to deal with.

Now, about those 45 stolen bases tonite. Maybe that slip-slide BS has seen the last light.

32 yo journeyman player. This is a career night for him he'll always remember. Congratulations.